Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes remains in the concussion protocol as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Mahomes left the Chiefs’ Divisional round game against the Cleveland Browns in the third quarter after a concussion evaluation.
Garafolo was very clear in his message that this is an ongoing process.
GARAFOLO: “Concussions are not sprained ankles. You can’t sit here and say, ‘It’ll take a certain number of weeks or days. You’ve got a timeframe for these.’ So you can’t really predict concussions. So when you hear things like, ‘Hey, there’s confidence he’s going to play,’ and, ‘He seems to be doing well,’ and all these things. ‘He doesn’t have symptoms right now.’ Yes. That is a good thing. But you’ve got to continue to go through the protocol, and as we sit here right now, I could tell you he is still in the concussion protocol right now, and there are steps to go through. They’ve got to increase his physical activity and then see if symptoms result because of that. That’s part of the process from being able to get all the way through. So, yeah. I hear all the optimism. I hear all the people saying he’s going to be good to go on Sunday. We don’t know that for sure, but we will know that over the next couple of days, provided he continues to display no symptoms as they work their way through this protocol.”
As Garafolo mentions, there is a five-step process a player in the protocol must complete prior to returning to the lineup. ESPN’s Adam Schefter later reported that there is optimism because Mahomes is expected to practice on Wednesday, despite the fact that he is also dealing with a foot issue.
Additionally Patrick Mahomes is dealing with a foot issue, per source. He still must go through certain steps to clear concussion protocol in the coming days, and there is hope and optimism, considering he is expected to practice Wednesday, per source. https://t.co/zKwHaosaA3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2021
“Because of the protocol, it’s a no-brainer from the coach’s standpoint,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said on Monday. “I mean, you don’t have to think about it, you just have to go forward and make sure you have an answer if he’s there, have an answer if he’s not there. I can’t tell you from a medical standpoint where he’s at. I mean, I don’t know that. So, that’s their decision and I just follow it.”
The Chiefs take on the Buffalo Bills for the AFC championship on Sunday at 5:40 p.m. Arrowhead Time. If Mahomes cannot play, backup Chad Henne would be the expected starting quarterback for the Chiefs. Henne completed 6 of 8 passes and had a key 13-yard scramble in the Chiefs’ 22-17 Divisional round win.
